“Winning the Solitaire du Figaro is a dream come true!”
“I haven’t really got my head around what’s just happened yet. The Solitaire du Figaro is a race I’d hoped to win one day and today really is a dream come true! It’s completely crazy!” explained Tom, beaming from ear to ear as he arrived dockside early this morning after what was a very tough third and final leg.
“All in all, we had some really boisterous conditions. The pasting we took off southern England with 30 knots of established wind, gusting to 35, was particularly notable. At that point, I was no longer within sight of the others and we were really taking a hammering. My sole obsession was to keep the small spinnaker in the air and to make as fast headway as possible without careering off the track. It was full-on it has to be said. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it was even a little scary during the gybes. In the end, we only had a small respite before passing the Skerries Bank and then we hit a light patch offshore of Brest. On a personal level, I spent a massive amount of time on the helm and I never let up despite the fatigue. It was vital to keep pace and that required an enormous amount of commitment as everyone was attacking like crazy at the head of the fleet!” explained the skipper of Smurfit Kappa – Kinsgpan, for whom this seventh crack at the title has proven to be the winning one.
“This victory is the reward for years of work and sacrifice, both for me and also for those around me. After the second leg, I knew I was well placed with a lead of 57 minutes over the second boat but I tried to keep a cool head and I strived to put as little pressure on my shoulders as possible. I admit that there have been a lot of times when I’ve doubted myself. To be honest, a few hours ago, I was just hoping that I’d be able to save myself a spot on the podium. I went through all the numbers out on the water, counting and recounting the times. I’d imagined that some monstrous gaps had opened up between me and the leaders with the current at the Raz de Sein. When I crossed the finish line, I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d taken the win but I soon got the picture when I heard people congratulating me. At that moment, I kind of doubled up in my boat. I wanted to cry, albeit with tears of joy,” admitted Tom, who has become the first sailor in his country to add his name to the list of winners of the event, as well as only the third n on-French sailor to take victory after Joan de Kat in 1970 and Laurent Bourgnon in 1988.
“Ultimately, it all came down to a transition during the second leg between Gijón and Royan, which was the tiniest of things. That’s generally how it goes in the Solitaire. That was how it played out in the last edition when the situation didn’t work in my favour.
This time I had karma on my side!”
Tom Dolan’s sponsors:
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